The Changing Realm of Latin Jazz

Herb Alpert - When most people think of Latin Jazz, a salsa dance party one thinks of, with hot dance rhythms charging behind jazz harmonies and improvised solos. This is actually taking care of of the style - musicians like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, and Ray Barretto have gotten people around the dance floor for a long time with jazz and Cuban rhythms.

Dance rhythms certainly hold a place in modern Latin Jazz, however a growing quantity of artists have abandoned the oasis for different cultural and artistic influences. Nowadays, many Latin Jazz musicians integrate rhythmic traditions from a broader spectrum of the Caribbean and Latin america, often blending cultural elements with modern jazz influences.

Grammy awards - Traditional Afro-Peruvian rhythms have played a big part inside the expansion of Latin Jazz, bringing rhythmic styles like the festejo and landó into the style too a more guitar heavy approach. Guitarist Richie Zellon has combined these traditions with jazz harmonies extensively while trumpet player Gabriel Alegria has evolved a unique approach along with his Afro-Peruvian Sextet.

While stateside Latin Jazz always carried a Puerto Rican influence, it has only been recently that artists have place a distinct emphasis upon the thought of traditional rhythms like bomba and plena supporting jazz contexts. Trombonist Papo Vazquez has utilized his ferocious command of bebop over Puerto Rican rhythms while saxophonist Miguel Zenón has dived deep into plena and classic Puerto Rican songs being a foundation for jazz.

Argentina has long been recognized for it's passionate tango, and several musicians have discovered this music can be a natural fit for jazz. Bassist Pablo Aslan has generated a distinct language for improvising around tango structures while pianist Pablo Ziegler continues the job of influential composer Astor Piazzolla with a distinct jazz twist.

Listeners often think about the lush bossa novas of Antonio Carlos Jobim after they think about the blend of Brazilian rhythms and jazz, however the style has grown into something a lot more dynamic. Pianist Jovino Santos Neto has generated upon his long tenure with composer Hermeto Pascoal and developed a highly creative repertoire of original Brazilian jazz while drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has blended the liberty behind a fresh York jazz sensibility with dynamic samba rhythms.

Jazz - The party area is unquestionably still an integral part of Latin Jazz - just listen to the background music of Poncho Sanchez or Pete Escovedo for a healthy dose of danceable jazz. The style has certainly expanded artistically, reflecting a more encompassing spectrum of Latin traditions and giving listeners an even more diverse experience.